‘I’ve been here a while and my brain stopped working’: Americans struggle with sub-freezing wind chill as storm closes in

It was too cold for school in Chicago and other Midwestern cities Friday as a huge, dayslong winter storm began to crank up that could bring snow, sleet, ice and bone-chilling temperatures as well as extensive power outages to about half the U.S. population from Texas to New England.

Forecasters warned that the damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival a hurricane. At least 177 million people were under watches or warnings for ice and snow and more than 200 million were under cold weather advisories or warnings. In many places they overlapped. Utility companies braced for power outages because ice-coated trees and power lines can keep falling long after a storm has passed.

Maricela Resendiz picked up chicken, eggs and pizzas at a Dallas store to get her, her 5-year-old son and her boyfriend through the weekend.

“It’s going to be a big storm,” she said, adding her weekend plans involved “staying in, just being out of the way.”

Ice, snow and sleet could begin falling later Friday in Texas and Oklahoma. The storm was expected to slide into the South with freezing rain and sleet. Then it will move into the Northeast, dumping about a foot (30 centimeters) of snow from Washington, D.C., through New York and Boston, the National Weather Service predicted.

Arctic air is the first piece to fall in place

Arctic air that spilled down from Canada prompted Chicago Public Schools and others in the Midwest to cancel classes Friday. With wind chills predicted to be as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius) frostbite could set in within 10 minutes, making it too dangerous to walk to school or wait for the bus.

In Bismarck, North Dakota, where the wind chill was minus 41 Fahrenheit (minus 41 Celsius) on Friday morning, Colin Cross cleaned out an empty unit for the apartment complex where he works.

“I’ve been here a while and my brain stopped working,” said Cross, bundled up in long johns, two long-sleeved shirts, a jacket, hat, hood, gloves and boots.

In Oklahoma, Department of Transportation workers pretreated roads with salt brine. The Highway Patrol canceled days off for troopers and planned to work with the National Guard to help stranded drivers.

Texas was bracing too. Frigid temperatures closed Houston schools, and utility companies brought in thousands and employees to help keep the power on.

“It’s all hands on deck,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire posted online.

In Nashville, Tennessee, the Grand Ole Opry planned to have its Saturday night radio performance without people in the Opry House — something it also did for months during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 1,000 flights nationwide were delayed or canceled Friday, with well over half of them in Dallas, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. The website listed more than 1,400 cancellations for Saturday, when the worst weather could start in busy Atlanta.

Ice could take down power lines and pipes could freeze

Once ice and snow end, the frigid air from the north will head south and east. It will take a while to thaw out, an especially dangerous prospect because ice can add hundreds of pounds to power lines and branches and make them more susceptible to snapping, especially if it’s windy.

In at least 11 Southern states from Texas to Virginia, a majority of homes are heated by electricity, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

A severe cold snap five years ago took down much of the power grid in Texas, leaving millions without power for days and resulting in hundreds of deaths. Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday that won’t happen again.

Pipes are also at risk.

In Atlanta, where temperatures could dip to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 12 Celsius) and stay below freezing for 36 hours, M. Cary & Daughters Plumbing co-owner Melissa Cary ordered all the pipe and repair supplies she could get. She said her daily calls could go from about 40 to several hundred.

“We’re out there; we can’t feel our fingers, our toes; we’re soaking wet,” Cary said. “I keep the hot chocolate and soup coming.”

Northeast prepares for heavy snow

The Northeast could see its heaviest snow in years.

Boston declared a cold emergency through the weekend, and Connecticut was working with neighboring New York and Massachusetts in case travel restrictions are needed on major highways.

“Stay safe, stay home, stay off the roads. Prepare. You know, go to the grocery store, get some eggs, get some milk, get some beer, get some pizza, whatever you do for football. Stay home on Sunday and please don’t open up any stores or anything,” Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said.

Philadelphia announced schools would be closed Monday. Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. told students, “It’s also appropriate to have one or two very safe snowball fights.”

People are hunkering down

In Atlanta, Eliacar Diego spent a night under a bridge and planned to find one of the warming centers that the city opens during bitterly cold weather. News of the storm hadn’t found its way to many of the homeless people with him.

“I’ve just got to get through this weekend,” Diego said.

At the University of Georgia in Athens, sophomore Eden England decided to stay on campus and ride out the weather with her friends, even as the school encouraged students to leave dorms and go home because of concerns about losing power.

“I was texting my parents and we kind of just realized that whether I’m here or at home, it’s going to suck either way,” England said. “So I’d rather be with my friends, kind of struggling together if anything happens.”

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Megnien and Amy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers around the country contributed to this report.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com